My final learning log!
1. Coding and R
I have learnt so much about coding in R and using RStudio! I have to confess, prior to this course, I thought all I would need to know is SPSS! I felt super overwhelmed about learning R, and as my classmates posted their amazing learning logs I felt I was stumbling in my learning process!
However, as the weeks went by and I went to Jenny’s Q&As … and we started working as a group on reproducing Paper 1’s descriptive statistics and plots - I slowly learned to trust the process and gasp - even enjoy the process of coding!
I’ve since learnt how robust R is - and not to mention, the implications of using R Markdown and documenting your code for computational reproducibility. I almost can’t believe that it’s only been 10 weeks since I started learning R, but thanks to the amazing resources we have had (Google, Slack, Q&As, workshops), I feel like I’ve definitely grown in my coding capabilities.
In attending some lab meetings this term, I’ve also heard PhD students talk about using R when working with their data - and I feel hopeful and less intimidated about this process now. I am really thankful I did this course, and that I stuck through it despite the initial feelings over overwhelm.
Finally, our paper’s authors seemed to do a lot of things well when it came to computational reproducibility - while we had some issues, we were still able to resolve them and replicate our original authors’ findings. As such, when I got to listen to other groups presenting (and how they found it challenging and impossible to replicate some of the plots) - I was astounded. Some of the things I’ve learnt:
- Workflow matters - tidying your data and code HELPS your future self!
- Rubber duck technique - commenting on your code helps with your own learning (as well as pays dividends when working on catepillar coding with team mates)
- Google is great for learning: searching the functions (what does X do in R), reading blogs, adding ‘tidyverse’ at the end of my search term (all helped me learn a lot!)
- We can all play a role in supporting computational reproducibility. In my future research, I would love to implement what I’ve learnt in this course in contributing to transparency and reproducibility in my area of research
2. My learning mindset
The PSYC3361 course is a breath of fresh air! I admit I’ve been eyeing this course since first year - and I’ve been really excited to take this course this term. The whole ‘no assessments till the end’ was a little confusing to me and hard to grasp. At first, I had a lot of self-doubt around how I would know if I was progressing well if we didn’t have mid-terms etc.?
Yet, somehow… it worked really well for my growth and learning! I worked on my group project consistently every week, and when I got feedback on my learning logs (or read feedback my peers received), I was able to learn consistently throughout the weeks - some weeks more than less, but every week nonetheless! Due to this, my mindset on learning has been challenged in many ways!
I walk away from this course feeling more confident in my ability to self-pace/organize my learning, the value of collaborating with my peers so all of us learn more/benefit from each other’s learnings, and how focusing on growth mindset (i.e., working on my progress rather than being fixated purely on grades/outcome) actually benefits my learning and takes away a lot of stress.
3. What makes a good team
I feel very humbled and fortunate to have worked with my team mates in Group 1. Prior to this course, my group project experiences in some instances could be summarised by this meme:
This group brought a new set of challenges… namely, I felt like everyone was really engaged and hardworking and responsible all the time… From time to time, I felt a pang of imposter syndrome.
Receiving peer feedback in Week 10 helped put my mind at ease!
I learnt a lot about the value of group work and what makes a good team, including:
- Setting out clear expectations and our group’s values was SO good. It was as if we had our own team culture that centered around clear expectations and things we ALL valued. This allowed everyone to relax, actually do the work, and have fun in the process
- Communication is key. Our group was really communicative on Slack, and we checked in every week on video calls/after Jenny’s Q&A once our reproducibility was underway. Some weeks some members were sick, or focusing on other assignments - but because of communication we were able to be understanding and kind towards each other! “Not everyone can be on top of everything at all times” was something we all understood well!
- Play to each other’s strengths! Something I really felt in this group (that I’ve never really felt across the entire group before) was how synergistic our group worked together. Maybe because we did catepillar coding (because it’s certainly not because we can read minds), I felt like where I dropped the ball on something, someone else would magically rock up and help me pick it up. In turn, I did my best to contribute where I could!! This really shone through in our final presentation (putting the slides and recording together), I felt like by the end of Week 10 we all worked really well together! I’m going to miss this group so much!!!
Thank you Edward, Sam, Lauren and Torunn!! It was a joy to work with y’all this term.
& thank you Jenny S, Jenny R and Kate for everything this term!! I have thoroughly enjoyed this course and learnt so much!